Catch Me
by tortallanrider
Summary: A collection of one-shots, different characters and different times, set to the song "Catch Me." Expect fluff.
1. Before I Fall

_Before I fall  
Too fast  
Kiss me quick  
But make it last_

They were alone. For the first time since her arrival in Tortall, she was alone with him. Part of her wanted to run out of the room, but a much larger part couldn't let this moment go. She shifted in her seat, avoiding looking at him directly. Had they done this on purpose? Intentionally left the two of them alone?

He hated his friends. How could they – Alanna especially – leave him like this? Didn't they know him at all? Or was this some kind of cruel payback for past slights? He tried to think of what he may have done as a page or squire that his friends had been carrying around all these years. Alanna knew best of all how he was with her. She must be taking such pleasure in this. He hated her most of all.

"So," Thayet said quietly, shifting once again.

"So," Jonathan repeated, moving some of the papers on his desk. There were a lot of them. He could go on moving them forever. Thayet glanced at the door, hoping someone would come back in, or they would be interrupted. "If you want to go, don't let me keep you." Startled, her hazel eyes met his blue ones. "I don't intend on being that kind of king, especially not to my friends."

"Are we friends?" she blurted without thinking. She quickly colored. "I mean…"

"Aren't we?" he answered, leaning back. "We have a very important friend in common. I would think that would make us friends by default."

Thayet hesitated before nodding. "I suppose it would." She glanced again at the door. "Although, I can't say I think much of this 'friend' right now." Jonathan laughed, breaking the tension between them. Thayet smiled, relaxing. She saw in him now the same man she saw when Alanna, or one of his other old friends, was in the room.

"George is rubbing off on her," Jonathan said. "I'll have to keep an eye on her."

"I'd keep an eye on her anyway."

He caught her eyes again and smiled, sending her stomach cartwheeling. Alanna had told her he was handsome, but hearing it and seeing it were two entirely different things. Even after nearly a month in the palace, his eyes still captivated her. "She'd hurt me for suggesting she needed watching."

"She knows she needs it," Thayet said. "She's just too proud to admit it."

They fell into silence again. Jonathan went back to moving papers, Thayet returned to looking awkwardly around the room. Every so often, he glanced up at her. He had dealt with being attractive all his life. He'd learned to live with the swoons, the stammering, and the overzealous flirts. He was used to be being pursued, and rarely worried about having to chase someone himself. Women came to him naturally. Even Alanna had fallen for him, though he knew she would never admit it. But Thayet _jian_ Wilima was different. He doubted she had to chase men. They probably fell at her feet. She had a determined look in her hazel eyes he respected, but guarded herself. He wanted to break through and find the woman hiding underneath. He suspected he could love her.

Thayet rose. "Maybe I should go," she said. "I don't want to interrupt you."

"No!" She stopped and turned around to see Jonathan on his feet. "I mean… don't leave. You're not interrupting anything."

"Are you sure?" she asked, crossing her fingers behind her back. She was talking about more than just his paperwork.

"I'm sure." He moved out from behind his desk and walked toward her. "There's nothing here that can't wait until tomorrow. Or the day after, or the day after…" He stopped in front of her. "Or, if I'm feeling particularly rebellious, the day after that."

"And no one would object?"

"No." He took a step closer. Her heart thudded in her chest. He looked so calm, and his blue eyes were so enchanting… He could hear his own heart in his ears, nearly drowning out the thoughts he fought to keep in order. "No one would object." One more step and they would be a hair's breath apart. One more step and he could show her how much he thought he could care about her, how much he already cared about her.

Thayet glanced down. "Your Majesty-"

Jonathan cut her off, taking half a step forward. "No," he told her quietly. She looked up hesitantly. "It's Jon."

"Jon." The word sat between them, reverberating in their heads. Neither was sure who took the step forward or who moved first, but suddenly their bodies were close. So close they felt each other's heat. "Jon," she whispered. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her gently, pulling his mouth away slowly. He looked at her with questioning blue eyes. "Are you sure no one would object?"

"I'm sure." He brushed the dark hair from her face. "But let them object. I don't care." She began to move back, but he caught her. "She doesn't object. I promise."

The corner of her mouth hitched up. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

He smiled at her. "Because it crossed my mind too."

Thayet kissed him gently on the mouth, then stepped away. "Good night… Jon." With a small, sweet smile, she walked out. Jonathan watched her go, fighting a smile. Yes. He could love her. He might already.


	2. How Badly This Will Hurt Me

_How badly this will hurt me  
When you say goodbye_

George propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at the woman lying beside him. The moonlight streaming through the cracks in the blinds illuminated her sleeping frame, catching the strands of gold in her copper hair and highlighting the smooth expanses of skin tanned by months in the desert. He smiled slightly and brushed hair from her sleeping face. She stirred, but did not wake. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. You would never know that she was the one they called the Lioness, the woman who shocked all of Tortall when they learned Alan of Trebond was really _Alanna_. When she was asleep, she looked as womanly as any woman who spent six years at the Convent in the City of the Gods.

Perhaps he would tell her that. She liked to pretend she was stronger than most, and perhaps she was. But she wasn't now, not after what happened in the desert with Prince Jonathan. George still didn't know details, but he knew it had hurt her. She refused to talk about it, and he respected that. She just needed someone, and he was happy to be the one she turned to. He had loved her for years, and had told her as much on several occasions. He suspected she loved him too, but she had always loved the Prince better. And who wouldn't? The King of Thieves could hardly compete with the handsome Crown Prince.

But he could try. Some selfish part of him knew that whatever passed in the desert helped his chances. He felt terrible even thinking it, but he had always known that Alanna could not end up with Jonathan. Much as he loved her, he knew his lass was not destined to be queen. He suspected she knew as much, which only added insult to her injuries. Injuries he could help heal, with kisses and love.

He knew she could not stay. She would get bored from inactivity, or he would have to return to Corus. He knew she would not want to travel back there, not yet. She wanted to give the nobles more time to adjust, and she needed her distance from Jonathan. More than that, traveling was her dream. For years, she'd told him about how she wanted to be a roaming knight. She was destined to do great things, his Lioness, and he could never keep her from them. He would worry about her, he might even have her watched when he could. But he could never keep her from being the Lioness. He would never dream of it.

George kissed her temple and rolled over, back against hers, to fall back asleep. Not long after, Alanna awoke, staring at the broad expanse of his back. "J-" she started, and then stopped. This wasn't her tent in the desert. This wasn't Jonathan. She swallowed hard and rolled onto her back, as if that would miraculously keep the tears in her eyes. The wounds were still too fresh, even lying here beside George, who loved her. She was woman enough for him. He would never dream of changing her. She knew that.

She also knew that George had loved her a long time, probably longer than Jonathan. She knew that George was her best friend first, not the Prince first. She knew that George had been waiting since she was sixteen to marry her, perhaps before. She knew that George loved her in ways that kept her warm for now, but wrapped that warmth around her for later. She could see his love for her whenever he looked at her, and she felt safe in his arms. He would never say such terrible things to her, and she knew that.

Even with all these things that she knew, she still could not shake Jonathan. No matter how hard she tried, she could not shake him. She wanted nothing more than to forget him, to wake up in the morning and not love him anymore. She wanted to love _George_, not George _and_. George was too good a man to not give her full love and devotion too. But she could not just turn off love. _Are you happy, Mother?_ she asked silently, bitterly. _I've learned to love, and now it's complicated. I knew it would be. This is why I didn't want it._


	3. Keep It Sweet

_Keep it sweet  
Keep it slow  
Let the future pass  
And don't let go_

Alanna did not return to her rooms until late that evening, hoping to avoid Jonathan as long as possible. She was still embarrassed that he'd seen her in a dress earlier, learning how to be a proper girl. Just the thought of it made her cheeks warm, and the butterflies start up in her stomach. _Stupid butterflies,_ she thought. _Don't they know I'm not going to fall in love?_ She shut the door to her room silently, not sure if Jonathan had returned yet. Sometimes he was out late at night. Or, if he were in, he might have company. She wouldn't want to disturb him.

The thought of him having company sent her head reeling. She wanted to kick herself. She couldn't think these things about Jonathan. _Especially_ not about Jonathan. Not only was he her knight-master, but he was her best friend, and the Crown Prince. Love and butterflies would only complicate that.

"Alanna?" A soft knock came at the door connecting their rooms. "Are you back?"

"Yes," she said, moving to open it for him. He stood there, in the same breeches and shirt he'd worn earlier. "Sorry I'm late. I lost track of time." Actually, she hadn't. She suspected he could guess as much.

"It's all right." He cocked his mouth in a half-smile. "We missed you at dinner, but I think the others will live."

"I'd imagine they would," she said, leaning against the doorframe. "They manage without me all the time. And you'll have to learn to live with me being gone. I'm leaving as soon as I win my shield."

Jonathan fell silent. "So you're still sure of that?" he asked quietly after a moment. "You're sure you're leaving us?"

Alanna nodded. "I'll have to. Once everyone knows I'm a girl…"

"They'll accept you," he told her firmly. "It'll shock everyone, sure. But we could use a little shock. Besides, consider your friends. You think anyone would dare speak ill of you when you count some of the best new knights in the realm among your allies? Not to mention Uncle Gareth and Sir Myles."

"They still won't want me around," she argued. "I'll be a scandal. I'd rather leave before they send me somewhere awful."

"_I'll_ want you around," he murmured, catching her violet eyes before she could dodge his gaze. He stepped closer. 

"Jon, do–" Before she could finished, Jonathan pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her softly. She felt her knees go wobbly and the butterflies start up again. Her head began to spin. All of her senses turned to their kiss. He wrapped his arm around her waist, tugging her closer. She let him, lacking the strength – mental or physical – to pull away. He slowly drew his mouth back and released her. She nearly fell into him.

"Well. Good night, Alanna." She glared at him and stepped out of the way of the closing door. She could learn to hate him. Maybe.

On the other side of the door, he had to pause a moment to catch his breath. Ever since that summer, when he had kissed her, he'd been overcome with the urge to do it again and again. Even when he was kissing Delia of Eldorne, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss Alanna like that, how her skin would feel against his, how their bodies would fit together. He knew he shouldn't – she was pretending to be a boy, after all – but he couldn't help it. And seeing her in a dress… he had known for two years that Alan was really Alanna, but knowing it and seeing it were two different things. In a dress, she looked almost… soft. Beautiful. Dressed as a boy, he could almost forget. But when she wore a pretty dress and a wig over her hair…

He suspected he might love her.


	4. But Tonight

_But tonight  
I could fall too soon  
Under this beautiful moonlight_

Something about sleeping in bedrolls under the stars brought out her hidden romantic side. Maybe it was the Goddess's association with the moon that made her a bit silly – the Goddess had told her to learn to love, after all. Maybe it was because Faithful really was supernatural, or maybe it was just because the stars looked so beautiful, twinkling up there in the night sky. Maybe it was the mystery of it all, how the darkness made her feel small. Whatever it was, the night made her silly and romantic in a way she didn't appreciate.

The moon was full that night when Coram headed off to his bedroll, leaving Alanna and Liam by the fire. She poked at it with a stick, avoiding his disconcerting blue-green eyes. Part of her wondered if her eyes had this affect on people too. She glanced over at him, catching him watching her and grinning. "What are you grinning about?" she asked, turning her head to fully look at him, keeping her stick in the fire.

"Nothing," he answered, firelight dancing in his eyes. He looked up at the sky innocently. "Beautiful night." Alanna grunted a response. A moment passed before he slid nearer to her. She glanced back at him and shifted away ever so slightly. He slid closer, more determined this time.

Alanna sat up and looked at him, feigning innocence. "Are you afraid of the dark?" she asked sweetly. "Or are you just cold?"

Liam chuckled. "Would you believe me if I told you either?"

She considered this before grinning at him. "No." This time, she slid nearer to him. their knees barely brushed. Liam slid a little closer, so the length of his muscular leg pressed against hers. Alanna threw a glance over her shoulder to where Coram lay. If she listened closely, she could hear him snoring. A small smile played on her lips.

"Are we safe?" Liam murmured in her ear, the feeling of his breath making her jump. She nodded, regaining her composure. It didn't last, though, once Liam started kissing her neck. She bit her lip to keep from moaning with pleasure. He seemed to know all the right places to kiss her to make her melt.

She didn't want to melt. Part of her brain rebelled, shrieking this was a bad idea. Wasn't Faithful supposed to be her conscious in such matters? The rebellious part of her brain cursed the cat for letting her get in over her head again. He'd let her go too far with Jonathan, then with George, and now with the Shang Dragon. She had let him get too close, let him put her too off-balance. This had gone too far, that small, rebellious part of her brain. Stop it now, before it gets too far. Think of what happened the last time you let a man make you feel like this. Look how that ended.

But there was a large part of her brain, caught up in the moment, lost in the feeling of his lips against her neck, his leg pressed against her own. The larger part of her brain that told her Liam wasn't Jonathan, Liam wasn't George. The part of her brain that forgot Jonathan entirely, and said this was different than what she had with George. The part of her brain that told her to let go. The part she so longed to give in to entirely.

Alanna turned to kiss him full on the mouth. Her voice startled Liam, who hadn't been expecting her to relent so quickly. For all that they'd been sharing a bedroll for several days, they still played flirtatious games with each other. He liked getting under her skin, making those pretty violet eyes flash. He liked her fire. It was part of what made her beautiful – that passion in her stomach that took hold of her. He knew it from himself, and he admired it in others.

_She's Gifted,_ he reminded himself. _She's got more than just a philosophical fire._ Magic made him shudder. He distrusted it, feared it, even. He knew that they would never amount to more than kisses and shared bedrolls with his fear between them. He also knew it was ridiculous to hope otherwise when she had counted the future king of Tortall among her lovers before. But all those sane, rational thoughts were pushed aside for another time, when the moon was less full and the stars less bright.

For now, all the reasons why not would be thrown away for passion and a clear, bright sky.

* * *

_I will admit, I was sorely tempted to use this particular set of lyrics to write about Jonathan and Alanna's encounter in the garden that is the joy of AJ shippers. But that would have been too easy, and I've never written about Alanna and Liam before. So I hope you enjoyed it. Say the word and I'll write a second version about Alanna and Jon. I just figure y'all get bored of me doing Alanna and Jon all the time._


	5. But You're So Hypnotizing

_But you're so hypnotizing  
You've got me laughing while I sing  
You've got me smiling in my sleep_

She laughed. Laughed harder than she had in months. The kind of laughter that made her whole abdomen hurt, the kind of laughter that left her breathless. The best kind of laughter. She looked at the handsome man making her laugh so hard and smiled. He winked one bright hazel eye at her, and she grinned. This man loved her, unconditionally and limitlessly. For all the pain she caused him, he still loved her, and she doubted he would ever stop.

They all needed a good laugh. In the six months since Jonathan's coronation, the palace had been too somber, with nearly everyone in mourning. The king, his queen-to-be, and their advisers needed a break. Even Alanna, having just returned from the desert, needed one. Life had been too serious over the last ten years.

Across from the laughing redhead, behind a large, imposing desk, sat the handsome king she served as Champion. A few grey hairs now adorned his twenty-three-year-old head, products of a coronation rebellion. He ignored them, knowing the coming decades would increase, not decrease, their number. He also knew that they should be working, not laughing. But, oh how they needed a good laugh.

Jonathan took the hand of the beautiful woman seated beside him and squeezed. They glanced at each other with love-filled eyes, the kind of glance that made anyone less in love ill. Thankfully, the others in the room were used to it. Alanna and George had each other, Gary had Cythera, Myles had Eleni, and, well, Raoul and Buri didn't seem to need love… but were happy to tease their friends about it.

Gary yawned, stretching in his chair. "Getting old, Gary?" Alanna teased. "It isn't that late."

"_You_ aren't up with the sun every morning," the older man countered. "Some of us do actual _work_."

"Watch it," Jonathan warned, eyes dancing. "We all know what happens when George is displeased." Catching on, George fingered his ear, grinning wickedly. That set the group off once again. Alanna wondered momentarily if stories of George's time as the Rogue would ever get old.

As the laugher died down, Gary said, "It is quite late." He rose and bowed to Jonathan. "With your permission, Majesty."

Jonathan waved his hand. "Go, go. You don't have to ask my permission, just leave. I don't want you drooling on your papers." Everyone else laughed.

"Players, all of you," Gary muttered, leaving the king's study. Myles left next, citing his old age. Buri went soon after, followed by Raoul. Jonathan, Thayet, Alanna, and George remained.

"Should we take the hint and leave too?" Alanna asked Jonathan, eyes dancing. "I wouldn't want to be rude."

"Since when?" Thayet asked sweetly. Alanna narrowed her eyes at her friend.

George patted her arm. "You wouldn't be you if you weren't, lass," he told her with a smile.

"Imagine Alanna without her tongue," Jonathan mused. "How peaceful life would be."

"All right." Alanna stood. "I'm going, I'm going." She turned to George. "Are you coming?"

George looked at the king and future queen with dancing hazel eyes. "How can I resist her when she asks so sweetly?" They laughed as Alanna rolled her eyes and led George from the study.

Shortly after, she slid into bed beside him with a sigh. He opened his arm to allow her to cuddle close. Resting her head on his shoulder, she sighed once again. "What?" George asked quietly, stroking her red hair and softly kissing the side of her head.

"Nothing," she answered sleepily, eyes beginning to close. "Good night, George. I love you." A smile touched the corners of her mouth as she drifted off to sleep, wrapping in the warm, loving arms of a former thief.

* * *

_So the one-shot didn't fit perfectly with the lyric section. It's hard to make the two match up! I hope you enjoyed it anyway. (:_


End file.
